We all have them, even if they’re left unstated. Even if we’ve refused to come up with any this year, they lurk in our subconscious, coming out in mysterious ways like guilt for blowing $50 at your favorite restaurant or for eating a bar of Chocolove for breakfast (welcome to my world).

I recently had the opportunity to have lunch at Cincinnati COOKS!, a kitchen in an old building on Ezzard Charles Drive across from a vacant lot. No, it's not the scene you get at most restaurants in Cincinnati, but this building has a thousand times more soul and spirit than all of them put together.

Recently, I was invited to a turtle fry in Ripley, Ohio, an hour east of Cincinnati along U.S. Route 52. According to local legend, it’s been going on for generations. I went with three questions: 1) How do you catch a turtle 2) How do you prepare it and 3) Is it worth eating? Like all events in Ripley, there was a fascinating crowd.

Election Party Food and Drinks

Like half the country, I'll be attending an election party on Nov. 4. Since people are saying this is an "important election" (unlike previous elections, which might or might not have been important), it's occurred to me that special food is in order to celebrate the occasion.